AS and HOP are associated with alcohol and prescription depressant drug use and misuse (including sedatives and narcotics) [22, 23] through different motivational processes, mainly negative reinforcement or removal of negative emotional states. Both traits are associated with elevated risk for internalising problems in adolescents and adults [31, 35], which are also characterised by a cognitive sensitivity to negative information [31]. AS might also be associated with a more specific sensitivity to threat cues, particularly interoceptive cues [36], but studies investigating whether youth with these pre-morbid risk factors are also characterised by attentional biases to threat and negative information have yielded inconsistent findings [37]. It has yet to be confirmed whether, or not, cognitive or attentional biases are causally implicated in risk for substance misuse in youth with high levels of AS or HOP, but the evidence does demonstrate a direct link between these traits and risky motives for substance use, which directly increase one’s risk for problem drinking (25–27;61).
